The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

  • 2019: Buhari deserves second term – party chieftain

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi, Chief Egwu Chima said that President Muhammadu Buhari had done well in the delivery of his electoral promises to deserve a second term.

    Chima, a former Commissioner of Information in Ebonyi, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Abakaliki.

    He said that the outstanding performance of the President in his first term had brought a lot of attraction to the office of the presidency of the country as attested by the number of presidential aspirants jostling to take over from him.

    Chima said that Buhari had restored and repositioned the country’s battered international image, making Nigeria a hub for genuine international investors.

    The party chieftain said that though there were still some challenges in the country, Buhari had performed remarkably and had acquitted himself well as president of the country.

    Chima, who is also a member of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said those who said Buhari had not done well were either playing politics or refused to check the facts.

    According to him, the president has achieved a lot in the areas on which he anchored his campaign promises, despite the herculean problems he met on ground.

    “President Buhari has done well based on the facts available and not sentiments.

    “He has done well in the delivery of his campaign promises despite the big problems he met on ground, especially in the fight against financial corruption, insurgency, and creating job among others.

    Read Also: Group purchase nomination form for Buhari

    “He has made the office of the presidency more attractive than any other president before him.

    “The multiplicity of presidential aspirants, especially from the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), jostling to take over from Buhari is a testimony of one fact; thatt Buhari has made the office more attractive.

    “Others who had ruled this country before dwelt on fear, trepidation, not identifying real issues and had played to the gallery.

    “But he came and tackled what others feared to tackle and confronted those issues posing national disgrace and embarrassment head long without fear or favour.

    “It is the excellent work that he is doing that he is now stepping on toes of those stealing from the country because so many of his policies are touching on the reach.

    “He has steered the country back to economic growth after the global economic recession while some other countries are still wriggling under recession caused by crash in commodity prices.

    “The country is out and is even doing well in the area of economic diversification,” Chima said.

    He said that the credibility problem of the other aspirants from the opposition parties had made Buhari almost a ‘sole’ candidate in the 2019 presidential election.

    “Buhari’s popularity has continued to soar with support base from every nook and cranny of the country.

    “With the ‘integrity’ problem of most of the major aspirants from the opposition parties, Buhari will run almost as a sole candidate in the presidential election.

    “Nigerians will massively vote to re-elect him for the second term in office in 2019.”

    Chima, one of the founding fathers of Ebonyi, said the opposition was only seeing Buhari’s performance based on their perspectives which did not reflect the facts on ground.

  • SMEDAN to train 52 inmates on entrepreneurial skills

    The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria ( SMEDAN ) is set to equip 52 inmates with entrepreneurial skills toward improving their lives and the nation’s socio-economic state.

    Mr Yinka Fisher, Lagos State Coordinator of SMEDAN, made the disclosure in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday in Lagos.

    Fisher said that the empowerment programme for the inmates would assist them to reintegrate successfully into society after prison, become self-reliant and live a productive life.

    He said the programme would be done in collaboration with the Nigerian Prison Service, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria ( PFN ) and Covenant University.

    According to him, the training will hold from May to December at the Kirikiri and Ikoyi Prisons for both male and female inmates.

    “The essence of the programme is to equip the inmates with relevant skills so that they would not be vagabonds in the system again but establish their own businesses and engage in useful socio-economic ventures, thereby contributing their own quota to our national development.

    “The programme has been on since 2009. Overtime, we have been able to train 576 inmates of which 230 have been released and 146 among the released inmates have been able to start their own businesses.

    “They are now employers of labour and helping to solve the problem of unemployment in the country,’’ he said.

    Fisher said that SMEDAN would train inmates in tailoring, shoemaking, tie and dye and other vocations, teach them how to turn the vocations to enterprise and instil in them financial literacy.

    “We are going to teach them in eight different modules; how to run efficient and profitable business, writing of business plans, how to network, access to finance, meeting with regulatory authority, investment opportunities and avoiding pitfalls in business.

    “There is business venture in the prison where they can practise what they have been taught and after their release, they can implement them properly,’’ Fisher said.

    According to him, while SMEDAN focuses on the vocational skills acquisition; Covenant University will handle the psychology aspect through therapy and counselling, while Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria will focus on spiritual uplifting.

    “Through the exposure at the training, prison inmates would be returning to the society not as social misfits but reformed and well equipped personalities with skills that would enable them settle down to a productive lifestyle,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Bayelsa trains over 5,633 youths in various vocational skills

    Bayelsa trains over 5,633 youths in various vocational skills

    The Bayelsa Government says it has trained no fewer than 5,633 youths in various skills since the inception of Gov. Seriake Dickson administration in 2012.

    Mr Collins Cocordia, Bayelsa Commissioner for Youth Development, said this on Friday at the on-going Inter-Ministerial and Agencies’ briefing in Yenagoa.

    The briefing was part of activities to mark Dickson’s six years in office come Feb. 14.

    The briefing tagged, “Restoration Government at Six: Our Score Card in Focus”, started on Jan. 22 and would end on Feb. 9.

    Cocordia explained that about 40 members of the National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC ) were also trained in different professional skills in the state.

    He said the training was carried out in collaboration with other agencies both at the national and international level.

    On the cost of training, the Commissioner said that the government had invested huge resources to ensure that people of the state were empowered.

    “The state government spends between N1.5 and N2 million to train a youth in professional skills.

    “Since we came on board, about 1, 000 persons were trained in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund ( ITF ), Small and Medium Enterprises’ Development Agency of Nigeria ( SMEDAN ), and Bank of Industry ( BoI ) for three months.

    “More than 150 were trained at the International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality on different skills, including GSM telephone repair for four months.

    “Also about 627 youths were also trained in a programme tagged “Catch Them Young through Skills Acquisition” in science and technology.

    “We have had series of training progrmmes to empower and develop the youth; similarly we have sent some to different parts of the world for training.

    “In this 2018, we hope to train many youths on solar energy in partnership with a German based company on other skills such as diving, flight dispatch, and fire fighting among others,” the ommissioner said.

    NAN

  • Focus less on finance, SMEDAN tells MSMEs

    Lagos State District Coordinator of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Yinka Fisher has urged entrepreneurs in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to develop workable innovative ideas and expand business network rather than lament on the problem of accessing finances.

    Fisher who spoke on the topic, “Unlocking the Youths Entrepreneurship Potentials for National Economic Development” at the Trek Entrepreneurship Lecture said, “ the problem of finance is not an immediate problem for entrepreneurs as finance will be easily accessed if business is properly placed. One thing we keep telling people is that you cannot run a business alone and that is why you must network with a synergy of different people so that at the end of the day whatever is your own is your own weakness would be the strength of your partners and the weak point of your partners can be your own strength.

    He added that many small and medium enterprises are unable to access finances primarily due to lack of information as well as their inability to meet specified requirements which include a realistic business plans and provision of loans collateral.

    The SMEDAN District Coordinator said, “When we talk about finance, finance availability is in abundance but what is your ability to know how to tap into it. One thing we keep saying is that for you to be able to tap into finance, you must be able to provide a business plan. Let us see your business plan. Of course, it is not enough for someone to come and say that I am looking for finance without knowing what kind of business that person is into and what business direction that person is looking at. So for finance to be properly access, first thing first is to understand what does it take to establish an enterprise and when your business is properly established, you would know how to source for your finance. And providing information on funding are some of the things MSMEs can get from SMEDAN as an institution of government.

    Speaking in the same vein, CEO, Papas Entertainment has implored Nigerian youths to look inward and discover unique traits which could be maximized for self-employment and job creation rather than lament on lack of finances.

    He said, “I would say that though we all need finance but much more I implore the youths to use their environment and their talent. I want to advocate that the youths look inward and annex their potentials; these potentials are inherent in all of us. Every one of us needs to discover our purpose. Those are the things that would make you unique and successful as an entrepreneur. Finance should not be a total hindrance to whoever is ambitious.

    Meanwhile, President of Computer and Allied Product Dealers Association of Nigeria (CAPDAN), Ahmed Ojikutu, who spoke on the sideline at the lecture has called for more investment into the information communication technology (ICT) sector of the economy.

    He said, “ICT is going to be the driving force of every industry in the nearest future, be it health, education or transportation. You would discover that ICT would consequently become the orbit that works around every of these industry. So at this point, you would see that it is only reasonable that ICT be heavily invested into. And with these investments, Nigeria would become an ICT producing country and not a consuming country alone.

     

     

  • Boko Haram: ITF trains 1,100 youths in Borno

    Boko Haram: ITF trains 1,100 youths in Borno

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has trained no fewer than 1,100 youths in Borno in various vocational skills, the ITF Area Manager in the state, Malam Aminu Hassan, said on Wednesday.

    Hassan said in Maiduguri during the launch of the fifth phase of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme that the beneficiaries were vulnerable victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said 700 women and 400 men, drawn from the 27 local government areas of the state, were trained by the organisation.

    According to him, the beneficiaries were equipped with skills to enable them generate wealth and become self-reliant.

    The ITF Area Manager said that during the three month training programme, the male beneficiaries were trained in poultry farming, plumbing, shoe making, carpentry and other related trades.

    “The women were exposed to knitting, pomade making, fashion design, shampoo production among other skills.

    “The Fund is partnering with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Borno State Government and Bank of Industry.

    “One of the cardinal policies of the Federal Government is to create jobs and wealth for all Nigerians.

    “Under the scheme, 500 candidates were trained in other states but because of the insurgency in Borno 1,100 were accommodated in the programme,” Hassan said.

    He added that those trained would receive resettlement allowances from the Bank of Agriculture to start their own businesses.

  • Katsina gets new Chief of Staff

    Katsina gets new Chief of Staff

    Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has sworn-in Alhaji Bello Mandiya as his new Chief of Staff.

    His engagement followed the appointment of the former Chief of Staff, Alhaji Dikko Radda, as the Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

    Performing the ceremony, Masari who said that Mandiya was appointed for his hard work and honesty, urged members of the cabinet to work as a team for the government to move the state forward.

    Mandiya, who was born in Malumfashi Local Government Area in 1964, obtained B.Sc Mass Communications and M.Sc. International Relations and Strategic Studies from the University of Lagos.

    Until his appointment, he was the Special Legislative Assistant to the Speaker, House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007.

    Mandiya was nominated as an International Observer to the Cater Center Observatory Mission to Ghanaian Presidential Election in 2008.

    Responding, the appointee assured the governor that he would maintain the confidence reposed on him.